Free tickets now available as Cameron University continues Academic Festival X with Gen. (Ret.) Jack Keane

Cameron University’s tenth Academic Festival, “American Identities in the 21st Century,” continues with a presentation by General (Ret.) Jack Keane on Tuesday, February 27. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place in Aggie Gym. Gen. Keane will speak in conjunction with the Festival X sub-theme of “America’s Place in the World: Power, Diplomacy and Commerce.” Tickets are required for admission and can be reserved online at http://www.cameron.edu/festivalx. Tickets will be distributed free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis and can be picked up either at the Will Call window the night of the presentation or in advance from the Office of Public Affairs, Administration Building, Room 150. For ticket information, call 580-581-2211.

“General Keane’s leadership and military experiences have positioned him as an expert in America’s role in international relations,” says John McArthur, CU President. “His perspectives on power, diplomacy and commerce, gleaned from his first-hand knowledge, will be of great interest to the Lawton/Fort Sill community.”

Keane, a four-star general, completed more than 37 years of public service in December 2003, culminating in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. As the chief operating officer of the Army for more than 4 years, he directed 1.5 million soldiers and civilians in 120 countries, with an annual operating budget of $110 billion. Keane, who was in the Pentagon on 9/11, provided oversight and support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Beginning in 2004, Keane spent a decade conducting frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan for senior defense officials with multiple visits during the surge period in both countries, directly assisting General David Petraeus. He appears before Congress regularly to offer testimony on matters of foreign policy and national security. He serves as the senior military analyst for Fox News and speaks throughout the country on leadership and national security.

President of GSI Consulting, Keane also serves as chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and the Knollwood Foundation and as executive chairman of AM General. He is a director of General Dynamics, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the Smith Richardson Foundation, a member of the Commission on National Defense Strategy selected by Senator John McCain, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, and a former and recent member of the Secretary of Defense Policy Board, where he served for nine years. Keane is also a Trustee Fellow of Fordham University and an advisor to the George C. Marshall Foundation.

A career infantry paratrooper, Keane is a combat veteran of Vietnam who was decorated for valor. He spent much of his military career in operational commands where he commanded the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the legendary 18th Airborne Corps, the Army’s largest war fighting organization.

“American Identities in the 21st Century” will continue throughout the 2017-18 academic year. Through a series of presentations by nationally recognized speakers, Cameron will examine perspectives unique to the American identity.

The McCasland Foundation of Duncan is the primary sponsor of “American Identities in the 21st Century.” Over the years, financial support for the Academic Festivals has come from the McCasland/Amquest Bank Endowed Chair, established by the McCasland Foundation in 1989. Additional funding for this year’s festival is provided by the Cameron University Foundation and through Cameron University Lectures and Concerts Series.

“American Identities in the 21st Century” continues Cameron’s popular series of Academic Festivals. Cameron’s first Academic Festival, “Year of the Renaissance,” took place in 1991-92. Themes of previous Academic Festivals included cultural diversity; science and technology; bridging the millennium; globalization and the human experience; health and wellness; the country of Afghanistan and, most recently, an in-depth study of the challenges and opportunities presented by sustainability.

For more information, contact the Cameron University Office of Public Affairs at 580-581-2211 or via e-mail at publicaffairs@cameron.edu.